Truly Madly Deeply Boxed Set (42 page)

“I doubt that.”

She shrugged. “Eventually we moved and I finished up in private school.”

“But how’d you survive? Being a teenager is tough by definition. Add your problems...”

“I kept busy. Joined the teen crisis hot line. It kept me out of the house after school so I didn’t have to go home where talk of our family problems was prohibited. I couldn’t watch my mother pretend life was fine.”

Bingo, Mike thought. Carly’s problems weren’t with her father alone. She resented her mother’s behavior as well, and she’d closed them both out of her life. “So that’s how you got started helping teenagers,” Mike said.

She nodded. “I did similar work in college, majored in psychology, and eventually it translated into my column. End of boring story.”

“You never forgave him, did you?” he asked, thinking of the distraught older man he had seen days earlier.

“Not in here.” She placed a hand over her heart.

“Your mother did... or appears to.”

“That’s debatable. Mom’s tough. She believes in handling your private pain in private. I got no support from her because she refused to admit we...” She gestured around the room, the house she’d visited as a child. “We as a family had a problem. I don’t agree with how she chose to live her life, but I can’t fault her for her coping mechanisms.”

Mike disagreed. Carly blamed her mother every bit as much as her father but hadn’t come to terms with her relationship with either one of them. But now wasn’t the time to push her further.

“I’m not as big a person as my mother... you’ve seen that. She stuck by her man. I didn’t stick with Peter. But my parents taught me one important lesson in life.”

“And what’s that?” he asked, sensing this was the key.

“I discovered firsthand what a destructive force passion can be and I’ll never allow it to rule my life,” she said with a vehemence that would have once shocked him.

But after experiencing her extreme reactions to their intense physical attraction, he now understood. She obviously believed she could separate their physical relationship from the emotional and thereby never repeat her father’s mistakes.

He glanced across the table. Carly had begun clearing their half-eaten meal. When he had arrived in the Hamptons, Mike had feared he needed the safety Carly represented and not the woman herself. As he watched her clatter the plates into the sink, he realized how very wrong he had been. And how very much a part of him she had become. The truth frightened him almost as much as it obviously frightened her.

Carly turned from the sink with tears in her eyes.

He held out his arms and she sank into them. Burying his face in her hair, he comforted her the best he could and pushed aside all questions about the future.

A
fter their emotional discussion, Carly tossed Mike out. Pushing the morning’s events out of her mind, she set about organizing her columns into broad topics. Family, Friendships and Male-Female Relationships seemed like perfect headings, and hours later she had three distinct piles.

Family was a logical starting point but not a topic she was anxious to delve into yet. The same could be said of Male-Female Relationships, she thought, recalling her night with Mike. She set those piles aside. Friendship seemed like a safe place to begin. From there she would progress to Male-Female Relationships and ultimately Family Relations. The last two topics caused a distinct and unwelcome freezing in the region of her heart.

She sighed. How could she give advice when those areas of her own life were so complicated and unsettled? For years she’d walled off her emotions for fear of facing them. Thanks to Mike, she couldn’t put off facing her personal life much longer. But first she had a deadline to meet. As a professional she had learned to separate her personal feelings from her career. Anything less now and she would lose all objectivity.

She stood and stretched, each cramped muscle protesting her prolonged period of sitting in one position. The rumbling sounds of her stomach echoed in the empty room. This morning’s breakfast had filled the garbage disposal more than it had her stomach. A late lunch would help, she decided, and headed for the kitchen.

The light tap on the side door startled her. This exit led not to the main drive but to the beach. She wasn’t expecting company, and Mike wouldn’t be so formal as to knock before announcing his presence. Pulling back the curtains, she found herself face-to- face with her ex-fiancé. He’d given her no warning and she found herself unprepared for any sort of confrontation.

“It was a long drive, Carly. Will you let me in?”

Stunned, she stared through the glass. “Sure.” She opened the door and Peter walked into the kitchen. Dark circles surrounded his eyes and razor stubble covered his normally clean-shaven cheeks. He looked tired, she realized. And a lot more casual than the formality she’d grown accustomed to seeing. She took in his rumpled khaki chinos and a burgundy T-shirt and shook her head. She barely recognized him.

“This
was
a long drive.” And he could have just used the telephone. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

He ran a hand through his neatly trimmed hair.

“I needed to straighten out a few things.” His gaze traveled the length of her body.

Too late she remembered that she wore nothing but the blue oxford shirt and a pair of satin bikinis. After her shower, the button-down had seemed like the most comfortable item of clothing to work in. And, she grudgingly admitted, after the morning’s painful revelations, she took comfort in something that smelled so much like Mike.

Embarrassed by her lack of clothing, she retreated behind the center island and immediately felt more protected. “Everything already makes sense to me, so you wasted the trip.” She didn’t want to get into a discussion of why he’d felt the need to cheat on her with Regina. She already knew and didn’t need to hear how she’d fallen short with him in the romance department.

Peter cleared his throat. “I think you have the wrong impression.” He shook his head. “No, you probably have the right impression.” He let out a groan.

“Let’s make this easy. I’ve done a lot of thinking since I’ve been here,” Carly said. “We’re both at fault. I certainly shouldn’t have given in at every turn or let you think I was happy when I wasn’t.”

“And I shouldn’t have...” He flushed, a deep red against pale skin.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” But she couldn’t suppress a laugh. She much preferred being around Peter now that they were no longer engaged.

“I wanted to apologize in person. We were good friends once.”

“I know.” Her voice softened. “And I hope we will be again. We lost that somewhere along the line.”

He shoved a hand into his front pocket and started across the kitchen. “We were good together for a while, and then... I stopped thinking about you and took advantage. Thanks for sticking up for me with Roger.”

At least he’d admitted his mistakes. And maybe even learned from them. He deserved to be happy and she wished him the best, as long as it wasn’t with her. “You’re a good attorney. You never needed me as leverage.”

He stepped up beside her.

“Nothing’s happened to change your position... has it?” she asked, wondering if her father had acted out of belated parental concern.

“Actually, yes.”

“I’m sorry. My father promised he’d be fair.”

Peter grinned. “He was. You’re looking at the newest litigation partner.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s great news.”

His smile never reached his eyes. Instead he brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “I never meant to hurt you.” His hand came to rest on her shoulder.

She’d liked Peter, and he wasn’t the only one who’d made mistakes. “I know that.”

“Work time’s over, Carly. Time for a little fun.” Mike’s deep chuckle and footsteps reverberated throughout the small house.

The sounds stopped abruptly. “I had no idea we had company.”

“Mike...”

“I know you’re my brother and she’s your ex, but I’d appreciate it if you’d take your hands off her.” The cool control in Mike’s voice startled her.

Peter obeyed his command, releasing her immediately. No doubt it was the shock of Mike’s sudden appearance that had him responding so quickly. Taking advantage, she took a few steps backward.

Peter’s gaze ping-ponged from Carly to his brother. Mike stood, arms crossed over his bare chest. Fresh from a shower, his hair was damp and his jeans were zipped but unbuttoned. He looked settled and comfortable, a man who had a rightful place in her home.

The intimacy of the situation couldn’t have escaped Peter. “Well,” he said, “I see I’m not the only one who was fooled.” The hurt in his voice was unmistakable. “While I was working, giving you free rein over my fiancée, you took advantage.” He glared at his brother.

“It wasn’t like that,” Carly said, hoping to prevent irreparable harm between Mike and Peter.

“Are you telling me looks are deceiving?” He pinned her in place with a narrow stare.

“Yes.” Carly glanced down at her bare legs. “I mean no.” She threw up her hands in despair. “Nothing happened until after I got up here.”

Peter laughed aloud. “I’m not that big a fool. At least you could have been honest about why you broke up with me.” He turned toward Mike. “And you...”

Mike stepped toward his brother. “She’s telling the truth.”

“And why should I believe you?”

Mike groaned.

“Because he’s your brother,” Carly said. “And the only real family you have.”

“Which is why he should have kept his damn hands to himself.”

Carly drew a controlling breath. Until Mike, she had thought the devastating results of her father’s affair spoiled the possibility of her enjoying a passionate, emotional relationship. He’d begun to make her believe otherwise, but she saw now that she had been right all along.

She had succumbed to her feelings for Mike. They had crossed the line, and if he had jeopardized his fraternal relationship as a result she would never forgive herself.

“Talk,” she pleaded, attempting to reach both brothers. “You’re family. Nothing is more important than that. Especially not me.” She gave Mike a lingering glance before walking out the door.

* * *

Mike watched Carly’s retreating form. He was glad she had the sense to leave before that shirt lifted any higher. With one hand, he gave his brother a shove between the shoulder blades and pointed toward the kitchen table and chairs. “Sit.”

Peter glared before answering. “I’m going. Relax,” he muttered.

Mike settled himself in a chair and waited for Peter to join him, using the time to pull himself together. His brother had every right to feel angry, hurt and betrayed.

Mike’s irrational jealousy the moment he’d seen Peter’s hand on Carly’s shoulder had only made a bad situation worse. He glanced at his brother. “She’s right, you know.”

“About what?”

“We’re brothers,” Mike said.

“That sure as hell didn’t stop you from making a move,” Peter said.

Mike slammed his hand on the table. “It sure as hell did!”

Stunned silence followed Mike’s statement. He cursed his lack of tact, knowing he’d given his brother more information than he was probably ready to handle. Having an affair with another woman or not, ego was involved here as well as trust.

“You said you came up here on assignment.” Peter waited.

Mike assumed his brother expected him to dispute that fact. “I am on assignment. Finished this morning.” But Mike wasn’t about to admit he’d handpicked the location of the assignment or the reason for his choice. “Look, Pete...”

“Forget it. From where I sit, things are pretty damn obvious. I’m just amazed I didn’t see it sooner.” Pete leaned back in his seat, not defeated but accepting.

“See what?”

“You really care for her.” He shook his head, his expression one of pure amazement. “And all this time I thought you were doing me a favor by hanging around her and helping her out.”

“Of course I care about her, Pete.” But he wasn’t surprised that his brother hadn’t known it. “You have tunnel vision. What’s important to you and nothing else.”

Pete had the grace to look ashamed. “I need to work on that.”

Mike burst out laughing. He was surprised that his brother had bothered to drive up here, or to look deeper than his ego now. “Don’t worry. There’s hope for you.”

Pete shot him a nasty glare. “Well, at least she’s got you.”

Mike didn’t touch that statement because it would open up a discussion he didn’t want to have with his brother. Whatever he felt for Carly, the emotion didn’t change the course of his future. He couldn’t expect her to rely on him if he couldn’t rely on himself or the abilities he’d always trusted until recently. Nor could he expect her to accept a man who lived a transient life, one at odds with the stability she so obviously craved.

He looked at Peter. “If you’d really loved her or were marrying her for the right reasons, I’d never have... Hell, I should never have gotten involved anyway,” he muttered.

Pete’s smile was grim. “Neither one of us ever claimed to be a saint.”

“But I should have come clean with you once she broke things off.” But how could Mike have explained something to his brother that he hadn’t understood himself? Things he still didn’t have a firm grip on understanding.

“You know, I had a lot on my mind... the partnership decision, Regina, the ending of the engagement...”

Mike didn’t miss the order of those things but chose to remain silent.

“You’re right. You should have come clean. But you know something? It wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. You’d have done what you wanted anyway. You always do.” Pete laughed, breaking any lingering tension.

Mike relaxed. He and Pete would be fine. Carly was another story.

* * *

Mike jogged down to the beach and watched as Carly sat on the sand, gazing out at the waves crashing against the sandy shore. A light breeze blew her hair around her face. She had attempted to tie it back with a bandanna, but the wind had destroyed the effort. As he neared the water, the smell of salt air tickled his nose. He’d miss the beach, he realized with a pang of regret.